Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the motion before the House because the issue at the centre of this debate is not procedural tactics. It is the safety and dignity of Canadians.
Bill C-9, the combatting hate act, was introduced by the Minister of Justice on September 19, 2025. It was then referred to the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights shortly thereafter. Since that time, Parliament has debated the bill, the committee has studied it, witnesses have testified, and amendments have been proposed. The legislation has been examined in detail. In total, Parliament has now spent more than 30 hours debating and studying Bill C-9.
This is serious scrutiny. This is how Parliament is supposed to work. However, scrutiny must eventually lead to a decision. This motion simply ensures that the House can complete its work and that Canadians will finally see Parliament vote on legislation designed to confront hate and intimidation in our communities.
The core purpose of Bill C-9 is straightforward: to strengthen Canada's response to hate-motivated intimidation and violence. It would do this in three practical ways. First, it would create offences that prevent individuals from blocking or intimidating people who are trying to enter places like synagogues, mosques, churches, schools and community centres. Second, it would create a stand-alone hate-motivated offence so that when crimes are committed because of hatred toward somebody's identity, the law would recognize the harm clearly. Third, it would address the public display of hate symbols used to promote hatred and intimidate communities.
These are not abstract problems. They are real experiences that communities across Canada have been facing. We have seen synagogues targeted, mosques threatened and cultural centres vandalized. We have seen people harassed simply for walking into places that represent their identity and community.
We have seen something else as well. We have seen hate directed at 2SLGBTQIA+ Canadians increase in recent years. As an openly gay member of Parliament, I know personally that hatred is not an abstract concept. It is not something that exists only in statistics or reports. It is something that people experience in their daily lives. It can appear in threats, as intimidation and sometimes in the form of people showing up outside places where communities gather to try to send a message that certain people do not belong.
Canada is not that kind of country. Canada is a country where everyone should be able to live openly and safely. It should not matter whether somebody is Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Hindu or atheist. It should not matter whether somebody is Black, indigenous, Asian or from any other background. It should not matter whether somebody is straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or questioning. In Canada, every person deserves to live free from fear. This is what Bill C-9 is about.
It is also important to understand how this bill came to be. In December 2024, the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights released a report entitled “Heightened Antisemitism in Canada and How to Confront It”. The report contained a number of recommendations aimed at strengthening Canada's response to hate. Many of those recommendations were reflected directly in Bill C-9. In other words, this legislation is not a surprise. It is the result of a government that listens and actions. It reflects recommendations that were supported by members across party lines. Despite that foundation, the bill has been repeatedly delayed.
Opposition parties play a crucial role in our democracy. Their job is to question legislation, to challenge it and to improve it. In many cases, this is exactly what happens in committee. The job of the opposition is not to stall legislation forever. The job of Parliament is to debate, scrutinize and then decide. Unfortunately, what we have seen in committee over the past several months has not always reflected that principle.
The Conservatives have raised repeated points of order. They have challenged rulings of the chair. They have attempted to reopen settled motions. On one occasion, a Conservative member spoke for two hours about dogs and cats instead of allowing clause-by-clause consideration of the bill to begin. Canadians expect better than that.
They expect Parliament to treat serious issues with seriousness, because while Parliament debates procedure, Canadians are facing real threats. Jewish Canadians have reported intimidation outside synagogues. Muslim Canadians have experienced harassment near mosques. Black Canadians have faced racism in public spaces. Asian Canadians have been targeted by hateful rhetoric. 2SLGBTQIA+ Canadians have seen protests and intimidation directed at community spaces. These are not isolated incidents. They are part of a troubling pattern. Communities across Canada have been clear about what they want Parliament to do. They want stronger protections and clear laws. They want Parliament to act. Bill C-9 is part of that response.
Some of the debate around the bill has focused on the removal of the religious exemption provision in the Criminal Code. Let me be very clear about this. Freedom of religion in Canada is protected by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and that protection is not changing. Courts in Canada have consistently confirmed that hate propaganda offences require a very high legal threshold. Reading scripture does not meet that threshold. Teaching religious doctrine does not meet that threshold. Practising one's faith does not meet that threshold. In fact, the religious exemption provision itself has never been relied upon in a prosecution.
Nevertheless, when concerns were raised by faith communities, the government listened. In response, a “for greater certainty” clause was introduced to confirm that peaceful religious expression, including sermons, teachings and discussions of scripture, is not captured by the legislation. This is how Parliament should work. Concerns were raised, clarifications were introduced, and collaboration took place. However, even after that effort, obstruction continued.
The motion before us today is not about limiting debate. Debate has already happened, with more than 30 hours of debate and more than 30 witnesses heard at committee, for a bill that is only eight pages long. This is thorough scrutiny by any reasonable standard. The motion simply ensures that Parliament can complete the work and move forward to a vote. At some point, democracy requires decisions. Communities cannot wait forever while Parliament debates procedure.
The question before us is very simple. Should Parliament be allowed to vote on legislation designed to protect Canadians from hate and intimidation? I believe the answer to the question should be yes. The Canada I believe in is a country where diversity is our strength and where people of every background can live openly and safely. It is a country where no one should feel afraid to walk into their schools, places of worship or community centres. It is a country where Parliament stands up clearly against hatred.
This bill is a meaningful step forward. It sends a message that intimidation, harassment and hate-motivated violence have no place in Canada. After months of debate and delay, it is time for Parliament to do its job. It is time to move forward. It is time to vote.